Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/5902
Sports 1B Tuesday January 12, 2010 Tuesday Boys Basketball — Corning at Sutter Boys Basketball — Mercy at Dunsmuir, 7 p.m. Boys Basketball — Los Molinos at University Prep, 5:30 p.m. Girls Basketball — Corning at Colusa Girls Basketball — Mercy at Dunsmuir, Girls Basketball — Oroville at Red Bluff, 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball — University Prep at Los Molinos, 5:30 p.m.. Soccer — Mercy at Los Molinos, 3:30 p.m. It's a small world When I turned on Thurs- day's BCS "We Call It A National Title" Game I had already decided to pull for the Texas Longhorns because I have a cousin who graduated from Austin, think burnt orange isn't utilized enough and dislike Nick Saban. But a few minutes into the game I was given anoth- er reason to cheer for the Horns. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. As much of a McCoy fan as I am, I have to admit I got kind of excited when he got injured. Then they cut to the sidelines and showed young Garrett Gilbert, son of former Red Bluff Spartan quarterback Gale Gilbert, warming up and I was giddy. I'm probably in the minority in Tehama County when I say I've never met a Gilbert, but it was nice to be in the majority in pulling for the youngest one. There's a lot of different ways to choose a side to root for in any sporting event. Some people like a coach or a style of play, others simply like the uniforms or nicknames, but few reasons are better to cheer for a team than a local connection. Sure, Garrett isn't technically from around here, but on the Six Degrees of Red Bluff game — there's not that many steps too take. The Gilberts first came onto my radar when I was getting ready to move here and looked up Red Bluff on wikipedia. (Editor's note: wikipedia is not used in my journalistic research, but for my own personal time I'm willing to lower my standards.) Gale Gilbert's name showed up on the Notable People section, along with William Ide and Tom Hanks' mother. I remembered Gilbert's name from his time in the NFL and thought that was pretty cool — although I was moving from the hometown of Lou Dobbs and the voice of Patrick from SpongeBob. Then last year Garrett's name started coming up as National Signing Day came around and the Daily News even interviewed him in Febru- ary. Looking back at that article one quote from Garrett stands out. "If I have to step in and play, I've got to be ready," he said. It took Garrett a couple quarters and a half- time adjustment, but he showed he was ready by the third quarter — a pretty impressive learning curve considering who he was filling in for. Even though I've only been here for a few short years I was ready to make a running leap onto the Gilbert bandwagon as well. Why? It goes back to why rooting for the local con- nection is the best reason to side with a club or player — you're not alone. Growing up just outside Detroit, my favorite team is the Tigers. Anytime I see someone wearing the Old English D on their cap, it's easy to make a connection. It's better as a fan not to be a loner — to have people to share the good and bad times with. With the local high schools and now with Texas, I have that connection again. I've tried to carry that same philosophy over to the sports pages as is the rest of the Daily News with other parts of the paper. It doesn't mean all state or national stories have to go — sometimes there's a local connec- tion or it's an item everyone is talking about. Since I've took over the sports desk, the number of calls I receive complaining about the lack of local coverage has been surprisingly surpassed by more calls complaining about too much local coverage. For some the Daily News is their only source for NBA and NFL scores. After some adjustments, I think we're close to the right balance and in the meantime I'd rather get a call complaining that Peyton Man- ning isn't getting enough print space rather than Grant Blaser not receiving the attention he deserves. The key is realizing there should be a bal- ance. A sports fan in Tehama County can care about both. I know for a fact I wasn't the only one at Corning's basketball tournament, Saturday night, who was also recording the Cowboys- Eagles playoff game. It also lends something special when a Cameron Nye shares the Daily News sports page with a Kobe Bryant or a Mercy basketball recap gets billed alongside a prominent nation- al story. So for many reasons, don't be surprised if this isn't the last time Garrett Gilbert and Julia Brandt's names are on the sports page together. Daily News Sports Editor Rich Greene gave his dog the Hook 'Em Horns hand signal when Texas recovered that onside kick. He received no reply back from his dog and next year plans on watching the game with fellow human beings who will be rooting for Gilbert and the Longhorns. You can reach him at 527-2151, ext. 109 or by e-mail at sports@redbluffdailynews.com. Rich Greene Youth swish nets at Shasta Courtesy photo A group of Red Bluff youth competed at the Elks' Hoop Shoot held at Shasta College on Sunday and a trio came away with awards. Contestants had to shoot 25 free throws with the shooter making the most, declared the winner. Casey Moore (left) placed second in the 10-11 boys group. Julia Brandt (center) won the 10-11 girls group and Alex Funk (right) took home second place in the 12-13 girls group. Brandt will join other winners of the contest and travel to Sacramento on Jan. 30 to compete in the next round. Winners of the Sacramento round advance to competition in Las Vegas and ultimately the national finals in Washington, D.C.The national level winner receives a $10,000 college scholarship. Tehama Tracker McGwire admits using steroids NEW YORK (AP) — Sobbing and sniffling, Mark McGwire finally answered the steroid question. Ending more than a decade of denials and eva- sion, McGwire admitted Monday what many had suspected for so long — that steroids and human growth hormone helped make him a home run king. ''The tough- est thing is my wife, my par- ents, close friends have had no idea that I hid it from them all this time,'' he told The Associated Press in an emotional, 20- minute interview. ''I knew this day was going to come. I didn't know when.'' In a quavering voice, McGwire apologized and said he used steroids and human growth hormone on and off for a decade, starting before the 1990 season and including the year he broke Roger Maris' single-season home run record in 1998. ''I wish I had never touched steroids,'' McGwire said. ''It was foolish and it was a mistake.'' He had mostly disap- peared since his infamous testimony before a congres- sional committee in March 2005, when he said, ''I'm not here to talk about the past.'' He had been in self- imposed exile from public view, an object of ridicule for refusing to answer the questions. Once he was hired by the Cardinals in October to be their hitting coach, however, he knew he had to say some- thing before the start of spring training in mid-Feb- ruary. Before a carefully rolled out schedule of statements and interviews, he called commissioner Bud Selig, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa and Maris' widow, Pat, on Monday to personal- ly break the news and left messages for the current stars of the Cardinals. He issued a statement and called the AP to get his admission out, then gave several interviews. ''It was a wrong thing what I did. I totally regret it. I just wish I was never in that era,'' he said. McGwire even under- stands why the Maris family now believes that Maris' 61 homers in 1961 should be considered authentic record. ''They have every right to,'' McGwire said in an interview on the MLB Net- work. In his AP interview, McGwire's voice shook when he recounted breaking the news to his son, Matt, who is 22. When McGwire hit the record homer, he hoisted Matt — then a 10- year-old batboy — at home plate. The former player called that conversation the toughest task in the ordeal. ''He's very, very under- standable. So are my par- ents,'' McGwire said. ''The biggest thing that they said is they're very proud of me, that I'm doing this. They all believe it's for the better. And then I just hope we can move on from this and start my new career as a coach.'' McGwire was a base- ball icon — Big Mac, with a Paul B u n y a n physique and a home run swing that made fans come out to the ballpark early to watch batting practice. He hit 583 home runs, tied for eighth on the career list, and his average of one every 10.6 at-bats is the best ever. His record of 70 home runs in 1998 was surpassed by Barry Bonds' 73 homers in 2001 — the year of McG- wire's retirement and the apex of the Steroids Era. Bonds himself has denied knowingly using illegal drugs but has been indicted on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice. In four appearances on the Hall of Fame ballot, McGwire has hovered at 21- 24 percent, well below the 75 percent necessary. ''This has nothing to do with the Hall of Fame,'' he said. ''This has to do with me coming clean, getting it off my chest, and five years MCT file photo Mark McGwire follows through while hitting his then record breaking 62nd home run of the 1998 season. ''I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake.'' Mark McGwire Mercy basketball The Warriors held Quincy to just two first quar- ter points, Saturday, a n d c r u i s e d f r o m there to a 54-39 win. Mitchell Lopez led a balanced Mercy effort with 15 points. Coach Steve Shellabarger said his bench continues to give great minutes and praised the efforts of Royce Crane, Ryan Ward, Michael Wang and Bo Wang. "If we can keep our intensity going on the defensive side, we will be able to control the tempo of the game," he said. Aaron Lash and Jere- mie Jones led the Warriors with nine rebounds each. Quincy beat the Lady Warriors 48-19, Saturday. Natasha Czajka led Mercy with nine points and 12 rebounds. Los Molinos basketball The Bulldogs had an u p - a n d - d o w n weekend, fall to L i b e r t y Christian 72-43 on F r i d a y , but rebounding Saturday with a 75-51 win over Princeton. Against Princeton the Bulldogs shot off to a 30- point halftime lead 49-19. Ryan Mekech had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Los Molinos and Sean Conrad led the team with 18 points. Dominique Ceja had 13 points and Eric Blan- chard had 10. During the Friday loss to Liberty Christian, Con- rad led the team with 13 points and Jc Conrad had 11 points. Eric Blanchard scored 10 points. The Bulldogs are 7-7. See McGWIRE, page 2B